During the
1950s,
Americans were listening to
Music with the Hormel Girls every Saturday evening on
CBS radio. The show was made up of skits,
Broadway show tunes, and current hits. Most half-hour
radio shows at the time had three
commercial breaks, but
Music with the Hormel Girls had five—and an additional fifteen references to
Hormel products within the scripts.
In their spare time, the Hormel Girls traveled around the country selling SPAM luncheon meat and other Hormel food products. A typical visit began with a caravan of 35 white cars and five equipment trucks. The local police would escort the entourage into town where they were officially welcomed by the mayor.
If that didn't draw enough attention, the parade that followed did. The sixty women, who comprised the Hormel Girls group, then spent their afternoon in pairs, going door to door with coupons and cheery Hormel smiles.
Jay Hormel, then company president, greatly enjoyed the Hormel Girls and their national radio show, but rising costs and the growing popularity of television forced the group to disband in 1953.
The Hormel Girls are credited with doubling the sales of Hormel packaged foods over the course of their five-year stint.
Information gleaned from the SPAM Classic Ads 2001 calendar.